Jeca Oneshots
by youhavetosmile
Summary: A collection of Beca x Jesse one shots/drabbles inspired by quotes. Rated T for a few swear words. Possibly M later.
1. Holding Hands

Holding Hands

" _Holding hands is a promise to one another that, for just a moment, the two of you don't have to face the world alone."_ – Anonymous

How did she get here? How did she get here _again?_ How the hell did she end up at the ICCA Finals at Lincoln Center for the second time?

As she sat in the auditorium, fidgeting nervously and crinkling the _RESERVED: BARDEN BELLAS_ sign that was still taped to the back of her seat, Beca reflected on the past two years. She never, _ever_ thought she'd be sitting here right now. She thought she'd be in LA doing whatever she had to do to become a music producer. Instead, she was waiting for the results of a national competition with a bunch of _a capella_ nerds that had become the family she always wanted but never had. And now she was (hopefully) leading them into their second consecutive ICCA championship.

 _Well that's…terrifying._

Suddenly Beca felt like vomiting. Because she realized that this was on her. Win or lose, the results of this competition were her doing. If the Bellas won—again—she would probably count it as one of her greatest accomplishments thus far. If not—suddenly she wanted to be that girl she used to be, that girl that didn't care about anything or anyone because she cared about this group and the girls _so much_ and if they didn't win she'd never forgive herself and Jesus, what was happening to her?

"Hey, you ok?"

The voice and the soft pressure on her knee snapped Beca out of her panic. She looked up to see Jesse with his arm awkwardly bent over the seat in front of her in an attempt to place his hand on her knee and a look of genuine concern on his face. The sight was so adorably dorky that she cracked a small smile for just a second and it occurred to her that Jesse was the only person who had ever made her smile when she felt like this. Ever.

But she had to keep it together. "Yeah, all good," she replied with as little shaking of her voice as she could.

Jesse's face turned to one of disbelief. "C'mon, Bec, after all this time, I think I know when you're freaking out."

And it was true. Jesse did know when she was freaking out, when she was ridiculously happy, and when she was so angry she could punch something. Another something Beca never thought she'd have: someone who knew her better than she knew herself. This boy, this weird, nerdy, totally adorable, completely perfect man had somehow movie-quoted his way into her heart and for some reason, didn't seem to want to leave. And she was strangely okay with that.

As the last group took the stage, Jesse turned around backwards in his seat and pleaded, "Please, babe, talk to me."

"We should watch—"

"I don't care what they're doing up there. I need to know you're okay."

Beca shut her eyes in an attempt to not cry. "I'm scared, Jess."

"Of what?"

"Losing." She opened her eyes again. "That was my choreography, my arrangements, my _everything_ and if we lose it's all my fault." She leaned forward and buried her face in her hands. "Then everyone will hate me and all this work would be for nothing and I'm gonna lose everything that means anything—"

"Beca, stop." Jesse's strong, warm hands wrapped around her wrists and gently pulled her hands away from her face. "You have nothing to worry about."

"Yes I do! Jesse, this is my life—"

"I know. But listen," Jesse lifted Beca's chin with his finger, looked her in the eye, and held her hands firmly in his. "You're going to win. That set was kick-ass and there is no way even the Trebles will beat it. But maybe you don't. Maybe you lose and the Bellas aren't reigning champions of _a capella_ anymore and maybe you lose all your friends and everything falls apart."

"Wow, this is some pep talk…"

"You gotta let me finish," he said with a smile. "You have nothing to worry about because even if all that stuff happens, I will still be here, okay? I love you."

"How do you always know what to say?"

"I watch a lot of rom-coms?"

"Of course."

Jesse stayed backwards in his seat, holding his girlfriend's hands through the final applause. He sat there through the announcement and until Donald literally tore him away to accept their second place trophy. And as soon as she joined him onstage after the Barden Bellas made history _again,_ he took her hand in his and held it tight because Beca had been alone enough and he never wanted to stop letting her know that she wasn't anymore.


	2. Joseph Campbell

**A/N: Pitch Perfect 2 spoilers**

" _We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us." – Joseph Campbell_

Beca Mitchell had plans.

After high school, she was going to move to LA, get a job at a recording studio and work her way up to being one of the biggest music producers in the industry, no matter what it took. But that changed when her father made her enroll at the university where he was employed, insisting that she get an education before "becoming P. Diddy."

That didn't deter Beca, So she had to wait a year. She'd pretend to be interested in this _a capella_ crap, convince her dad that she really did try to get involved at school, then pack her bags and head to California—on her dad's dime no less!

All that was taken from her when Jesse called her dad to bail her out of jail.

Everything else was taken from her when she changed the set and yelled at Jesse. She didn't understand at the time why this made her sadder than not going to LA.

But as she stood as a world _a capella_ champion with generations of Barden Bellas, looking out into the field and finding her dork of a boyfriend wrapped in an American flag, holding a flashlight and mouthing _I love you,_ she realized that not even the City of Angels could ever make her feel the way she did right now.


	3. Sleep

Sleep

" _You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams." – Dr. Seuss_

It was nearly 3 a.m. by the time Jesse and Benji got back to their hotel room after the ICCA finals. Both were exhausted and got ready for bed in silence.

It wasn't until they were lying down and about to turn in that Benji finally asked the question Jesse knew he'd been holding in all night: "So…Beca?"

"Yeah, Beca." Jesse's best attempts at hiding the smile that accompanied the sound of her name failed miserably. He resorted instead to staring at the plaster stalactites on the ceiling.

"Is everything good with you guys?" Benji probed. Jesse wasn't just his roommate; he had become his best friend. Indeed, he wouldn't be here now if not for Jesse offering him Bumper's spot. He had seen how depressed Jesse had been since semi-finals and Beca's total rejection of him, so he was understandably a little skeptical about what had transpired that night.

"Yeah, we're cool," Jesse replied, rolling over to plug in his phone.

"You sure? She really did a number on you, dude."

"Just call me the comeback kid."

"I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"Look, Benji, I appreciate the concern, but really, I'm good." Jesse turned his head to face his roommate. "I'm the best kind of good, actually. I don't think I've ever been this good."

"That must have been some kiss," Benji replied, earning only a lovesick smile from Jesse in response. "So what exactly happened?"

"She sang our song." The smile on Jesse's face was beginning to make Benji wonder if it wasn't just Beca keeping him this high.

"You've been together for like…" Benji checked the clock on the nightstand, "six hours, and you already have a song?"

"Are you surprised?"

Benji chuckled. "Not really, no."

"That song was her apology. That was her saying she wants what I want, to be together. And she said it in front of the whole country. It's like something out of—"

"A movie?"

"Exactly. They live happily ever after, fade to black and credits roll. She did formally apologize at the party but that doesn't matter, I got the message."

"So you're totally over everything that happened at semi-finals? Just gonna let it go?" Benji asked skeptically.

"How can I not after everything she did tonight to make up for it?"

"Just—"

"She's worth it, Benji."

The absolute confidence with which he said these words silenced any doubts Benji had about Jesse's feelings for Beca. Benji smiled and held out a fist over the gap between the beds. "Good night, Jess. I'm glad everything worked out."

"Thanks, dude," Jesse returned the fist bump and shut off the lamp. "Great job tonight. You kicked ass up there."

"Not my ass you were worried about."

With a laugh, Jesse rolled over and closed his eyes.

Benji was just about to drift off when he heard a rustling on the other side of the room. "Dude, what are you doing?" he said as he saw Jesse's silhouette pulling his velvet jacket out of the closet, "Go to sleep."

"How can I sleep," Jesse replied as he walked out the door, "when the girl of my dreams is on the next floor up?"


	4. Worlds

Worlds

" _To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world." – John Lennon_

"And the 2015 World A Capella Champions are…the Barden Bellas!" Deafening screams ensued as Beca and the Bellas moved center stage to accept their title. Beca looked out into the crowded field and tried and failed to think of a better way to end her _a capella_ career. Thousands of people holding flashlights were jumping and yelling and it made Beca feel so inspired that the work that she, Emily, and the rest of the group put in had made that happen.

But one person caught her eye in particular. How could she miss his giant American flag? The man wrapped in it was the last person she expected and the first person she wanted to see here. If she squinted, she could just see him mouthing _I love you._

 _He's here._ After months apart, seeing Jesse's adorable face in the crowd made her unspeakably happy. She sincerely hoped that whatever he had to do to get here didn't cost him his internship at a production company in New York, but the fact that he was standing there now, on top of winning a world championship and completing her final performance, was too much for Beca's emotions.

Quickly wiping her tears away, Beca gave a last wave to the crowd and exited stage left with the girls. She caught a glimpse of Jesse and Benji weaving through the now thinning crowd to the stage wing.

After a _lot_ of teary-eyed hugs, Beca was finally able to break free of the group and step off the stage. She searched the faces crowded against the bike rack for Jesse and found him talking to Benji. "Yo, Rocky!" she called.

Jesse's head snapped her way and before she knew it, he had hopped the fence, lifted her up and spun her around, lips locked to hers. "Hey, baby," he said after setting her down.

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in New York!"

"And miss my girlfriend kicking the world's aca-butt? No way." Jesse held Beca's face in his hands. "Babe, that was incredible. I am so proud of you," he said sweetly, kissing her forehead and pulling her into a tight hug.

"I missed you," Beca whispered in his ear, tears once again threatening to fall. In response, Jesse just hugged her tighter ( _was that even possible?_ ). After a minute, Beca pulled back to look at Jesse, arms still clasped around his waist. "Seriously though, how are you here? What happened? I thought you couldn't get off work."

"Yeah, about that," Jesse rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "I sort of…quit."

"What? Jess! What the hell were you thinking? That was, like, your dream job!"

"That's what I thought," Jesse responded before the lecture continued. He gently brushed a strand of Beca's hair behind her ear. "Turns out, the dream job doesn't mean much if the dream girl isn't around."

"Jesse—"

"Wait, wait, before you start yelling, I actually have given this a fair bit of thought. You want to go to L.A., right?" Becca nodded. "There's literally hundreds of jobs making movies in L.A. That's where you _go_ to make movies. Just because I happened to get a job in New York doesn't mean I have to stay there."

"Jesse, what are you saying right now?"

"I'm saying," Jesse took Beca's hands in his, "I want to go to L.A. with you."

Tears ran down Beca's face as she pulled Jesse into a kiss worthy of any cinematic finale. She was going to L.A. to become a big-time music producer. And she was going to do it with the love of her life.

"Bec—Oh, God, sorry!"

Beca reluctantly broke the kiss and turned around to see Emily standing awkwardly behind her. "Whaddup, Em?"

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all. Carry on," Emily replied with much too much hand movement.

"No, you're cool. No worries." Beca said with a chuckle.

"I just wanted to say thanks. For making 'Flashlight' happen."

"Oh my gosh!" Beca pulled Emily into a tight hug. "I should be thanking you! You gave me my first demo!"

"Happy I could help," Emily said with a smile.

Beca broke the hug and stood between Emily and Jesse. The ensuing silence soon grew uncomfortable. "Wait, have you guys never met?" Beca said finally.

"We've seen each other around, but not officially, no." Jesse replied.

"Oh! Sorry. Jesse, this is Emily. She wrote 'Flashlight.'"

"Really?" Jesse said, shaking Emily's hand. "I loved it. Here and when I heard the demo," he added with a smile to Beca.

"Thanks," was all Emily could muster.

"Aren't you going to tell her who I am?" Jesse joked, turning his attention back to Beca.

Beca smiled and took Jesse's hand. "Emily, this is Jesse. He's…he's my flashlight."


	5. Gatsby

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who followed/reviewed! This is my first time posting anything I've written, so I'm glad you guys like it! I will be abroad for pretty much all of June, so I won't be posting anything during that time, but I'm planning on knocking a few out before I leave to hold you over. If there's anything you guys want to see written out, leave prompts in the reviews and I'll do my best. Thanks again!**

 **This one is another stream-of-consciousness sort of thing, this time written from Stacie's perspective. Set during junior year.**

 **I don't own the rights to Pitch Perfect (though if I did, there would have been WAY more Jesse in PP2) or the songs mentioned. Or the quotes. Or anything really.**

" _He looked at her the way all women want to be looked at by a man." – F. Scott Fitzgerald,_ The Great Gatsby

In the two years since the Barden Bellas won the ICCA championship for the first time, tensions had greatly diminished between the Bellas and the Treblemakers. This was largely due to Aubrey's graduating and no one else caring enough to enforce the "no Treble-boning" rule, but also because of the relationships that had formed between members of the two groups, namely Beca Mitchell and Jesse Swanson. The pair were so damn cute together that no one had the heart to use the previously heated rivalry between their groups as an excuse to pull them apart.

It's a good thing for the Trebles, Stacie thought as she sipped a drink, since the Bellas had now beaten them at the ICCAs _twice_ and therefore had major bragging rights, but since the groups were such good friends now, the girls tried to keep it to light-hearted teasing. Stacie had to admit she was also grateful for the opportunity to hang out with a bunch of smoking hot (though sometimes not totally straight) guys on a regular basis. Like tonight. The Bellas and the Trebles had organized a joint outing to a karaoke bar near the Barden campus and were currently showing up everyone by singing whatever they wanted, regardless of whether the DJ had the karaoke track.

Stacie watched from a table as Chloe and Beca carried the tune of "Just Give Me A Reason." After the first verse, Beca surprised the crowd by mashing up "I Knew You Were Trouble." while Chloe stuck with the original song. Anyone who wasn't a Bella or a Treble seemed shocked at the musical mastery that was currently happening onstage, but the aca-people in the crowd, though enthused by Beca's performance, knew it was a pretty normal occurrence and their cheers died down quickly.

Well, except Jesse's. His cheers could be heard above all else, and even after it died down to the normal bar chatter, Stacie could still hear him shouting "That's my girlfriend!" at the complete stranger standing next to him from halfway across the bar. As the song hit its final notes, Beca and Chloe struck a pose and Stacie found herself watching for Jesse's reaction, hoping to see something written on his face that she could use to tease Beca about later.

But there wasn't just lust in the way Jesse was looking at Beca (though there was plenty of that, when a boy was horny Stacie could tell). It was…pride? Adoration? Stacie wasn't sure what to call it, but she was able to tell from that look that Jesse was absolutely head over heels for Beca. He worshipped her, but instead of laughing at Jesse for being totally whipped, she felt a pang of jealousy toward Beca. Which was weird, because Stacie definitely did not want someone to look at her like that. Nope, she was totally cool with sleeping with whoever and leaving in the morning.

As Beca walked toward her, Jesse caught her from behind, spun her around, then enveloped her in the biggest bear hug. He pulled away and looked at her, and there it was again, Stacie thought. The look that says "There's nothing in the world I love more than you." As the pair walked toward her, arms around each other's backs, Stacie smiled and considered the possibility that maybe she did want a real relationship. Maybe she wanted someone to look at her the way Jesse looked at Beca. Stacie was just about to tell Jesse that he had changed her entire outlook on relationships, but Fat Amy and Cynthia Rose grabbed her elbows and led her to the stage and she thought "Eh, better not."

 **Not my favorite, but there ya go.**


	6. Paulo Coelho

**A/N: I'm so sorry I didn't finish more before I left! Here's an extra long one for your trouble** **. Per FiveFootTwo's request, this chapter is a continuation of Chapter 3. Still just fluff.**

 **I don't own anything.**

Paulo Coehlo

" _One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving." ― Paulo Coelho_

The elevator dinged and Jesse stepped out into the silent hotel hallway. As he passed each room, he could hear guys yelling, girls giggling, and glasses clinking, but room 516 was silent. Jesse knocked quietly, hoping Beca was still awake. He heard no movement behind the door. He knocked a little louder. Still nothing. Jesse turned, disappointed, to head back to the elevator when the door opened and Beca peeked her head out. "Jesse?"

"Hey," Jesse turned to face her, "sorry, did I wake you up?"

"Oh, no," Beca replied, looking quickly back over her shoulder, "I just had my headphones on so I didn't hear you knock."

"Couldn't sleep?" Beca shook her head. "Yeah, me either."

After an awkward pause, Beca said, "Do you want to come in?"

"Yeah…sure."

Jesse followed Beca into her room, "Wait a second," Jesse stopped in the doorway. "Are you sure? This is opening the door for a whole lot of shit from Fat Amy."

Beca smirked. "Nah, it's cool. I saw her leaving the party with one of those weird guys with the Hawaiian shirts or whatever, so if she's not back by now, she probably won't be. Besides, it's not like they don't all know already."

"True," Jesse shrugged and followed Beca inside. He flopped down on one of the beds while Beca went back to sit at the desk, laughing. "What's so funny?" he asked.

"You," Beca replied, turning around in her chair, "making yourself at home again."

"I'm very comfortable around you." Jesse said with a smug smile, to which Beca muttered, "such a dork," and turned to face her computer. Before she could put her headphones back on, Jesse called her name. She turned back to see him patting the mattress next to him. "Come here." At her slight hesitation Jesse said, "C'mon, Beca. I'm not going to try anything weird, I promise. Just come here." Beca slowly crossed the room to sit on the edge of the bed, clearly still hesitant about being in bed with him. Jesse sat up and touched a gentle kiss to her temple. As he guided her down next to him, he wondered to himself what kind of guys Beca had dated in the past who pushed to sleep with her on the first date. Beca was not one for emotions, so Jesse knew that singing her feelings to him in front of everyone had been quite enough for one day and he didn't want to push her further.

Jesse gently lifted Beca's head from where it had landed on the pillow and placed it on his own shoulder, then brought her right hand to rest on his chest. "Is this okay?" he asked, forever patient.

"Yeah, I'm good," Beca replied, placing her right leg over Jesse's.

The next twenty minutes consisted of silence, with Beca occasionally fisting Jesse's velvet jacket in her hand and Jesse progressing from rubbing her arm to running his fingers through her hair before finally working up the nerve to kiss her forehead. Suddently, Beca said, "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Why me?"

"What do you mean?"

"You could've had your pick of anyone at school, so why did you pick me?" Beca propped herself up on her elbow to look Jesse in the eye.

Jesse laughed in disbelief. _She really doesn't know how perfect she is._ He reached up and put her hair behind her ear, ever careful of the ear spike. "I guess…I guess it was, like, everything and nothing at the same time, y'know?"

"Not really."

"Like, there wasn't anything specific that you did. It was a million little things."

"Like what?"

Jesse smiled as he reminisced on all the things about Beca that made him fall so hard for her. "Like your voice. Or your passion for making music. Like how you can hand whatever shit I give you right back to me. How you're totally not afraid of going _Million Dollar Baby_ on a Tonehanger. And how you totally don't know how beautiful and talented you are." Jesse shifted his gaze back to Beca. "Because you're you."

"But I was such a dick to you," Beca replied, avoiding eye contact. "You were, like, the perfect guy, and I shut you out."

"Do you want to know why I like movie endings so much?" Jesse said suddenly.

"I get the feeling you're going to tell me anyway."

"Because no matter what happened during the film, the ending makes it all worth it. Somehow, everybody moves on. Beca, it doesn't matter what you and I went through to get here. What matters is that we're here now. And if I could have tonight to live over, I would gladly go through all of that again." Jesse gently lifted Beca's chin with his fingers and repeated what he had said to Benji just a few hours ago. "You're worth it, Beca."

His kiss was firm but gentle on Beca's lips. It had the quiet strength that was so _Jesse,_ and Beca could practically feel the walls around her heart cracking and falling down.

After a few minutes, Jesse pulled away (he still wasn't going to try anything tonight). "Thank you."

"For what?"

"A happy ending, and a new beginning."

"Oh my God, you are such a dork!"

"Yes, but I'm your dork." Both smiled and leaned in for another kiss, but before their lips could touch, Beca suddenly shouted, "Holy shit!"

"What?"

"It's really late," Beca said, pointing to the clock which read nearly 5:00 a.m.

"We have to be up in, like, three hours," Jesse groaned, "Guess I better go."

Before she could stop herself, Beca grabbed Jesse's arm. "Wait," she said, "you don't have to go."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Like I said, Amy probably won't be back tonight."

"Okay," Jesse said hesitantly, laying back down.

Beca couldn't believe she had just asked him to stay. Yet as she laid her head back on his shoulder, she had a feeling of confidence deep in her stomach that she had never felt before.

That feeling was still there in the morning, when Fat Amy walked in and said, "Wow, I'm surprised you two didn't rip your clothes off and get it on like a couple of dingoes after that performance last night." Beca and Jesse took her ridicule in stride, both somehow sensing that there would be time for all of that. For now, they were (finally) together, and that's all they wanted.


	7. I Want You

**A/N: Hey everyone! This one's a little angsty. Set during junior year. P.S. Keep sending me prompts!**

 **The song referenced is "Come What May" from** _ **Moulin Rouge.**_

 **I still don't own anything.**

I Want You

" _In the end, there doesn't have to be anyone who understands you. There just has to be someone who wants you." – Robert Brault_

"Hey, Bec, who is this?" Jesse handed his phone over to his girlfriend.

Beca looked at the Facebook picture on the screen. "My mom," she said quickly, handing the phone back and turning back to her computer.

Jesse looked again at the photograph. He could see now where Beca got her dark hair and light eyes. "You look like her. She's beautiful," he smiled sweetly.

"Yeah," Beca replied with a quick glance, "Dude, why are you creeping on my Facebook?"

"Why are you changing the subject?"

"Because I suck at taking compliments."

Jesse smiled and looked back at the picture. After moment, Jesse looked back up at Beca. "Bec, what happened between your parents?" he asked hesitantly.

"Long story. One I'd rather not relive," Beca replied, never looking up from her computer screen.

Jesse considered letting the issue drop. Over the past two-plus years, he'd slowly gotten Beca to open up to him, but her parents' divorce was something she never talked about. She had made comments to him about her dad, enough for him to gather that she was very angry with him, but he didn't really know what had happened to make her so angry, and he decided he wanted to find out. So he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and said, "C'mon, babe, you can talk to me about it."

"I don't want to talk to anyone about it, okay? Just drop it." Beca shrugged Jesse's hand away.

"Beca, please don't shut me out. I'm just trying to understand—"

"Okay, fine," Beca slammed her fist down on the desk and stood up. She was yelling now, and she was vaguely grateful that the rest of the Bellas had gone to a movie, leaving the house they shared on campus empty. "You want to know what happened?" she asked, facing Jesse. "My dad cheated on my mom. Mom found out and instead of giving him what he deserved, she begged him to stay and work it out. But Dad is of the opinion that he's the only person on earth who matters, so he left. He walked out on us and moved down here. And yeah, that's why I shut everybody out. Just like in the stupid movies, I'm that girl with daddy issues who doesn't trust anybody because I'm afraid they're going to leave me like he did. And you know what, Jesse? You don't understand. You can't possibly understand what it's like to have the person who's supposed to love you no matter what just pick up and leave. You have no idea how lucky you are to have both your parents around. So don't tell me you're trying to understand, you won't." With that, Beca turned to escape down the stairs.

"Wait, Beca!" Jesse leapt off the bed before she could run (again). "You're right. I don't understand. I don't have a clue what that was like. But I see how much it hurts you, and I want to help, because I can't stand to see you push people away because you think you don't deserve to be cared about. Beca, I know that this whole relationship thing is scary for you. It's scary for me, too. But I knew freshman year that you were it for me. And if I haven't convinced you of that in two and a half years, I'm doing something very wrong." He crossed the room and put his hands steadily on Beca's shoulders. "What your dad did was shitty, and I'm going to spend every day trying to convince you that you deserve better."

"You're not going to get sick of me being-well, me-and leave?" Beca's face was uncertain.

"Sorry, babe, you can't get rid of me that easy."

"Jesse, I'm being serious."

"Beca, so am I. Whatever comes up in the future, I'm willing to work through it. I'm not going to leave you."

Beca wrapped her arms around Jesse's waist and hid her face in his shoulder. "Promise?"

After a moment, Beca felt herself start to sway as Jesse's tenor filled the room:

 _Listen to my heart, can you hear it sing?_

 _Telling me to give you everything_

 _Seasons may change, winter to spring_

 _But I love you until the end of time_

 _Come what may, come what may,_

 _I will love you until my dying day._

Jesse lifted Beca's chin and kissed her gently. "Thank you," Beca whispered afterward, "Thank you."


	8. The Playlist

**Keep sending prompts! Also, these are all un-beta-ed, so if you have any suggestions, let me know those as well. This one jumps a few years ahead, five years post-grad.**

 **I don't own Pitch Perfect or any of the songs mentioned.**

 _The Playlist_

" _And suddenly, all these songs were about you." - Anonymous_

Jesse Swanson _never_ had trouble focusing on a movie. To his friends' dismay, every time he saw one playing anywhere he would stop dead and watch. Beca once threatened not to sleep with him for a month if he didn't "move [his] ass right now. And no fun facts either!"

But tonight was different. Tonight it took Jesse, Benji, Bumper, Jesse's older brother, and a few of the Trebles he had become particularly close to almost an hour to choose a movie that didn't remind Jesse somehow of a certain Barden Bella, particularly the one he was going to marry tomorrow.

They had finally decided to marathon the _Back to the Future_ trilogy and Jesse was doing a fairly good job (in his opinion) of not thinking about how much he wanted the weight of Beca's sleeping head on his shoulder right now. He was beginning to regret agreeing to stay in separate hotel rooms and spend time with their respective halves of the wedding party tonight. Not that he wasn't having a blast hanging out with the guys; he just missed his Million Dollar Baby.

Jesse was beginning to see why Beca called him a cheeseball all the time.

The first movie ended and the guys began milling around the suite, refilling on snacks and drinks, checking phones, and stretching legs. Jesse was finishing up popping more popcorn when there was a knock on the door. Benji hopped up to answer it. A few seconds later he shouted, "Hey, Jess, it's for you."

"Chill, it's just Fat Amy," Benji said as Jesse passed him, seeing the excited look on his face.

"Hey, what's up?" Jesse leaned against the doorframe. "Everything okay?"

"Yep, just came to deliver this," Fat Amy replied, handing him a manila envelope.

"What is it?"

"Just a little pre-wedding present," Amy smiled. At Jesse's raised eyebrows and slightly scared expression, she continued. "It's not a sex toy or anything if that's what you're thinking. Although I personally wouldn't advise opening it while everyone's here. It's pretty cheesy if you ask me, and Beca has a reputation to uphold."

"Okay," Jesse said with a chuckle, tucking the envelope into the pocket of his Trebles hoodie. "Do you want to come in for a minute?"

After a minute—or twenty—two beers, and a brief makeout session with Bumper, Amy said she should probably be getting back to Beca and the girls. As he walked her out, Jesse asked quietly, "Hey Amy, how is she? Is she, like, freaking out big time?"

"Freaking out, yes, big time, I would say no," Amy replied with confidence.

"You think she'll show tomorrow?" he said, only half-joking.

"Oh, don't worry about that. She's not going to run." Jesse gave her a disbelieving look. "I know, I know, if anyone is going to run away from a good thing, it's Beca. But she knows you're the best thing that ever happened to her. And even if she momentarily forgets that because she's the biggest commitment-phobe this side of the Great Barrier Reef, the rest of us won't. If she wants to run, she'll have to get through all of us. But don't worry, those dresses are so stuffy, I'll have enough butt confidence for the both of us."

"Thanks, Amy, really. That means a lot," Jesse replied, thinking better of asking what butt confidence was.

Amy shrugged. "Eh, it shouldn't be too hard to convince her. The sex sounds fantastic."

Jesse thanked God he didn't have any liquid in his mouth because it would've ended up in Amy's face. "What? How would you know that?"

"What, you think I didn't hear your 'movie nights' on the couch in the Bellas house? You two sounded like dingoes in heat." With that, Amy left down the hall, leaving Jesse utterly speechless at the door.

As he settled back on the bed, his phone buzzed with a text from Fat Amy. _Don't worry, lover boy,_ it read, _dingoes mate for life ;)._ With a smile, Jesse settled back in to finish the movie.

A few hours and a drunken toast to Jesse's last night as a single man later, the groomsmen retreated to their respective rooms, leaving Jesse alone with the envelope. He flopped down on the bed and dumped the contents out in front of him. There was a flash drive and a folded note with his name on it. He unfolded the piece of paper and read:

 _Hey nerd,_

 _So I know I said no grand, romantic gestures, but this isn't really grand and you are definitely the romantic in this relationship so I figured it was my turn. Problem is, you and I both know I'm no good at romantic, so here goes nothing._

 _I love you, Jesse. No matter how much we fight and argue and tease, you have to know that. I know I'm not always great at showing it, but you mean the world to me. I have someone who loves and accepts me unconditionally and wants to put up with me every day for the rest of our lives. That's a rare thing anymore. I never thought I'd have that, but now I do and that's just so amazing. You're so amazing. Wow, I really suck at this, I'm so sorry!_

 _Okay, so I'm obviously not good at talking about feelings and all that, so it was really hard to think of something I could give you to tell you how much you mean to me and how excited I am to marry you tomorrow. So I did what I do when I can't figure out how to say what I mean: I made music. This one's more of a playlist than a mix, but all of the songs in here remind me of you and of us. The Bellas and some of the Trebles helped, too. There's no track list on purpose; I didn't want to spoil the surprise._

 _So this is my pre-wedding present: a musical history of us. Give it a listen and let me know what you think tomorrow when I meet you at the end of the aisle._

 _All my love,_

 _Beca_

Jesse finished the letter, then grabbed his laptop and a pen and notepad off of the nightstand to write down the track list. He plugged the flash drive in and braced himself for the listen. Her note had brought tears to his eyes, and he had a sinking feeling he was going to be a puddle of emotions by the time he was through the playlist.

He wasn't sure what he was expecting when he pressed play, but a four-part _a capella_ cover of "Carry On Wayward Son" was not it. He figured that the songs were covers (putting a new twist on existing songs was still Beca's thing, and he loved it) but he didn't think that _Beca_ would be the one singing them. He recognized her steady alto immediately. As the song went on, he also picked out the voices of Aubrey, Chloe, Stacie, and Benji, plus Chris, Andy, and Evan, three of the Treblemakers whom Beca and Jesse had stayed in touch with after college. He wondered if any of the creation of this playlist had gone on in their brand-new home studio, Jesse's pre-wedding present to Beca. As the song finished, Jesse wrote the track name downon the notepad, flashing back to when he looked out the window of his parents' car freshman year and serenaded a girl he didn't know.

Track 2 was also _a capella,_ a duet between Beca and Benji to "Art of Love." The message of the song brought tears to his eyes. Both Beca and Benji had struggled to navigate their respective relationships, and Jesse thought it likely that Benji would play this for Emily someday. He wrote _2\. Art of Love, or When Jesse Cried_ on the notepad, wanting to remember forever that it took her only two songs to make him cry like a baby.

Track 3 picked up the tempo slightly. The Bellas provided a perfect background to Beca's solo of "If We Were a Movie." As he listened to the chorus, a thousand moments flashed through his head when he had thought that his life was like a movie, only better.

 _Okay, nerds,_ Beca's voice sounded through Jesse's headphones, _category is: Songs about Swanson._ The next few minutes were filled with Jesse laughing at the riff-off his friends had put together of songs that reminded them of him. Some of his favorites included Benji's sentimental rendition of "Gift of a Friend," Fat Amy's hilarious version of "Teenage Dream," a Treble collaboration for "Jessie's Girl," and the ending, Beca's now-famous version of "No Diggity."

Track 5 was the first and only non- _a capella_ track. A simple bass line was a backdrop to Beca's mash-up of "Mean to Me" and "Everything." Jesse named the track _The Most Beautiful Thing I've Ever Heard._

True to Beca, the raw emotion was cut short and the sex appeal turned up for the next track, the Bellas' _a capella_ cover of "I Knew You Were Trouble." The Bellas had blown the Trebles out of the water at a Halloween mixer with this song, when the two groups had made a deal to show up dressed as the other group and perform a Taylor Swift song as each other. Jesse took a few deep breaths as images of Beca perfectly executing his own signature hip roll flashed across his mind. He nearly paused the music and ran down the hall to Beca's room at the thought of her unzipping his Treble hoodie to reveal a Bellas tank at the end of the performance. She must have remembered him telling her that it was his favorite performance yet as he lifted that shirt over her head in his bedroom that night. The name on the notepad became _I Knew You Were Treble._

The next song also brought back memories of one of the last college parties they attended together, when he held her close and told her, "This is your song." Jesse wrote on the notepad, _7\. Shut Up and Dance._

Track 8 was a slow duet between Beca and Emily. Jesse's heart swelled with pride at how far the two of them had taken "Flashlight."

The ninth song was the last, and Jesse wondered if Beca had purposely matched the number of tracks to the number of years they'd been together. The sound was something he could only describe as signature Bellas. It was a mash-up of some of the greatest movie-ending songs of all time, including "Footloose," "You Can't Stop the Beat," "Come What May," "At the Beginning," and "We Go Together." Suddenly, the beat slowed to a stop, then picked up again. Jesse burst into tears as he heard the first notes of "Don't You (Forget About Me)" in Beca's steady timbre. Alone in his hotel room, Jesse raised his fist in the air in triumph. Just like Claire and Bender, he and Beca seemed so different, but she was the girl of his dreams and he got to make her his wife in the morning.

After ten minutes of joyful sobbing into his pillow, Jesse decided he should probably get some sleep. He plugged in his phone, sent Beca a quick text ( _Love ya, Becs. Can't wait for tomorrow 3_ ) and placed his laptop on the nightstand. Before shutting off the light, he jotted down on the notepad _9\. Endings Are the Best Part._

 **Wow, so that ended up way longer than I expected. I have no idea if the mashed-up songs in this chapter would actually work together, but in case anyone wants to check out any of the music aforementioned, here's the list:**

 **Carry On Wayward Son – Kansas**

 **Art of Love – Guy Sebastian feat. Jordin Sparks**

 **If We Were a Movie – Hannah Montana**

 **Gift of a Friend – Demi Lovato/Teenage Dream – Katy Perry/Jessie's Girl – Rick Springfield/No Diggity – Blackstreet feat. Dr. Dre**

 **Mean to Me – Brett Eldredge/Everything – Michael Buble**

 **I Knew You Were Trouble. – Taylor Swift**

 **Shut Up and Dance – Walk the Moon**

 **Flashlight – Jessie J**

 **Footloose – Kenny Loggins/You Can't Stop the Beat – Cast of** _ **Hairspray**_ **/Come What May – Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman/At the Beginning – Cast of** _ **Anastasia**_ **/We Go Together – Cast of** _ **Grease**_ **/Don't You (Forget About Me) – Simple Minds**


	9. Saying Goodbye

**Hi everyone! Please please please keep sending prompts! I want to write what you guys want to read!**

 **This chapter is dedicated to someone I knew who passed away very suddenly. We miss you, KJB.**

 **I still don't own anything…**

" _How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." – Winnie the Pooh_

Beca lay under her covers snuggled in Jesse's Treble hoodie when she heard a knock on the door. She made no move to answer it, but a second later it opened anyway and she heard Chloe's voice say, "Beca, are you up here?"

"Yeah," Beca replied quietly, still not budging.

"Hey," Chloe sat down on the bed and pulled the blanket away from Beca's face, "how did it go?"

"Well, he's gone, so fine I guess," Beca replied, pulling the blanket back up.

"C'mon, talk to me! We're best friends, and besties tell each other everything. So tell me what happened."

Beca sighed and told Chloe of the events of that afternoon:

" _So this is it then," Beca said as she shoved the last of Jesse's boxes into his car._

" _Yep, guess I'm off." Jesse noticed the distant look in his girlfriend's eyes. "Bec, please don't be mad. I don't want to leave with you mad at me."_

" _I'm not mad at you. Really, I'm not! I just—"_

" _Wish you could shirk the duties of school, your internship, and the Bellas and come start a life in LA with me?"_

 _Beca nodded, afraid that if she spoke, only sobs would come out, and there were_ way _too many people around for that to be a thing._

" _Yeah, me too," Jesse confessed, pulling Beca into a tight hug. "Eveything's going to be okay, I promise," he whispered, rubbing circles on her back. "In a few months, you'll graduate and come out with me. We'll get an awesome studio apartment that we'll decorate with all kinds of hipster stuff and we'll live happily ever after."_

" _Where do you get this undying optimism?"_

" _It's all part of my charm, darling."_

 _This made Beca smile, but it quickly faded as she stood there, being held by the love of her life for the last time in who knows how long. Suddenly, she lifted herself up on her tiptoes and sang softly, voice tight with tears, "Don't you forget about me."_

 _Jesse took Beca's face in his hands and looked her squarely in the eye. "Never." Beca's body must have been operating independently of her mind, because before she knew it, she had pulled Jesse by his jacket into an intense kiss. He immediately wrapped his arms around her waist and ran his fingers through the ends of her hair. Breathless, Jesse reluctantly pulled away. "I'm going to miss you so much, Becs," he mumbled, pressing a kiss to her forehead._

 _His admission cracked her resolve and she couldn't hold the tears back any longer. Eyes still closed, she let them run down her cheeks as she pressed her forehead to his. "Look at me, baby." Beca opened her eyes to see Jesse staring back at her, tears of his own forming. "I know things really suck right now, but this isn't permanent; we just won't be able to see each other as much for a while. But I'm still right here, okay? If you need me, I'm a phone call away. And before we know it, we'll be living the dream in LA together." Beca nodded silently in affirmation. "I should get going," Jesse continued, "I love you, Beca."_

" _I love you, too," Beca replied. As Jesse turned away, she grabbed his jacket again and pulled him back. "Wait, Jess," she asked, "one more?" Jesse held her close and kissed her one last time before letting go and getting into the car._

"And then he left."

"And you're wallowing because you miss your boyfriend."

"What?" Beca scoffed. "I am not wallowing!"

"But you do admit you miss him?" Chloe probed.

Beca let out a resigned sigh. "Yes, I miss him. A lot. Which makes me feel like such an idiot, because I promised myself I would never be that girl sitting at home pouting because her boyfriend isn't around."

"Beca, you have to let go of these expectations for yourself, they're unrealistic," Chloe advised. "You think that you can go through life not getting attached to people, but you can't. And look what happens when you let that go! You've got a great guy, awesome friends, and you're a national _a capella_ champion!"

"You know, I think you should consider shrinking heads for a living."

"Snark will get you nowhere with me."

Beca groaned and lay back on her pillow. "I know. You're right, though. It's just so hard still."

"It doesn't have to be," Chloe lay down on her stomach next to Beca. "I'm _very_ open about everything."

"Really? I never would have guessed."

"I really don't think you have anything to worry about," Chloe continued, ignoring her best friend's sarcasm. "You just have to think positive. Sure, you and Jesse are going to spend a few months apart, which sucks, but wasn't your plan always to move to LA after school?" Beca nodded. "Well, now you have someone to share the adventure with."

Beca smiled in spite of herself. "Thanks, Chlo."

"What are best friends for? You guys will be fine." Chloe sat up on her knees and held her hands out to help Beca pull herself up. "Now, let's run to the store and we'll get a bunch of snacks and have a girls night, 'kay?"

"Sounds good." Beca said as she followed Chloe down the stairs.

"Oh, and by the way, if you need any help in the lady department while your boy toy's gone, I have an extra vibrator that I never used."

"Jesus, Chloe—wait, why do you have _two_?"


End file.
